In Your Heart
by CuteMochi
Summary: It was a rainy night at the Trainee Corps when a young girl with jet black hair and sea green eyes showed up to visit her parents. Eren and Mikasa are shocked when she runs to them and calls them her mommy and daddy. (Inspired by Kirito X Asuna and Yui) Eremika/Eren X Mikasa
1. Chapter 1

It was a rainy night at the Trainee Corps when they heard the knock on the door.

A soldier rushed to open it, and was surprised to see a small girl about the age of eleven or so standing there, in a large raincoat that dragged on the ground.

"It's cold outside," the soldier said. "Where are your parents?"

The girl's sad eyes looked up at hers.

"Here."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Your parents? Here?"

She nodded.

"What are their names?" she asked.

The girl looked puzzled.

"I don't know."

That complicated things.

"Oh. Well, we can look for them, then," the soldier said. "Come inside."

The young girl stood there for a while before finally entering. She took off her raincoat, revealing a dirty long-sleeved shirt under torn pants, revealing cuts and bruises on her pale skin.

The soldier woman and the girl walked towards the dining hall.

"They're all eating dinner," she informed her. "We can look for your parents there."

The girl nodded and looked down.

The soldier couldn't help but feel sad.

"Mommy and Daddy will be there?" she asked.

It suddenly occurred to her that they might have died or been cut.

She swallowed.

"Yes," she fibbed.

The girl's face lifted and she walked with more bounce in her step.

Finally they reached the dining hall, where everybody was eating.

When she opened the door, everybody turned to look at her, their eyes sadly pitying the little girl in the doorway.

"Attention! Whose daughter is this?" she asked loudly, her voice filling the room.

There was nothing but silence.

The girl looked around desperately, scanning everyone's faces thoroughly.

The soldier bent down to whisper to the girl.

"Do you see them?" she asked.

She shook her head in reply.

Suddenly the girl's eyes widened and she broke out into a sprint, running towards the corner of the room where the recruits from the 104th trainee squads were sitting.

"Mommy!" the girl began to cry and ran towards the table. "Mommy!"

It took everybody a few seconds to realize she was heading straight towards Mikasa.

Mikasa looked at her in surprise as she hugged her, wrapping her short arms around her neck.

"Mommy! I missed you!"

At first Mikasa didn't respond but then hugged the girl back.

The girl released Mikasa and turned to Eren, who was gaping at her in shock.

"Daddy! I missed you too!" she gave him a huge hug, staining the front of Eren's uniform with tears.

* * *

_Mommy? Daddy? _Eren thought.

He looked over to Mikasa, who looked to be in just as much shock as he was.

The whole room was silent, everybody staring at Eren and Mikasa.

_It's not possible, _he thought. _Mikasa and I never..._

Her face was still buried in his shirt, but he guessed she was about ten or eleven.

Ten or eleven? They weren't nearly old enough to be her parents.

"Um," he finally said, breaking the silence. "I think you have the wrong people."

The girl looked up at him, then shook her head.

"No," she disagreed. "You're definitely Daddy. And she's Mommy," she stated, gesturing to Mikasa.

She looked back up at him expectantly with the same sea green eyes he saw in the mirror.

"Right?"

Her dark black hair was wet from the rain and a singe lock stuck to the center of her pale face. It reminded him of the nights when he and Mikasa ran back home when it began to rain outside.

"Umm," he said again.

"Yes," Mikasa said in a decisive manner, and placed a hand on the girl's hair. "We are."

The girl smiled in relief and hugged them both.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Mikasa said, scooping the girl up her arms.

"Okay," the girl softly replied.

As she began to walk out of the room Eren followed.

"We'll be back, soon," he whispered to the rest of his friends.

They watched quietly as the two left the room.

"Mikasa," Eren said, grabbing her shoulder. "We need to talk."

Mikasa made a "shh" signal, gesturing to the sleeping girl she was carrying.

Eren shut his mouth and followed her to her room, where Mikasa laid the girl on the spare bed.

After a minute the girl was snuggled under the covers and covered with extra blankets, her head atop the pillow.

The two stood there, watching her.

"She has your face," Eren said.

"She has your eyes," Mikasa responded.

Eren collapsed on Mikasa's bed.

"Just what's going on?" he sighed.

Mikasa sat down next to him.

"I don't know," she replied quietly.

After a long pause Eren spoke.

"What do we do? With her, I mean?"

Mikasa's hands clenched together.

"We'll just have to wait and see."

Eren walked over to the girl, and stroked her hair.

"She has your hair," he commented.

"She has your smile," she said, gesturing to the smile that the girl's lips stretched into when Eren's hand touched her head.

It caused Eren to smile, too.

Mikasa stood by the bedside.

"How can this be?" she asked.

Eren shook his head.

"I don't know."

Removing his hand from the girl's hair, he turned to face Mikasa.

"I'm going to bed now, alright? See you in the morning."

He turned to leave.

* * *

Mikasa woke up to someone shaking her arms with small hands.

"Mommy! Mommy wake up!"

The soldier opened her grey eyes and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning, Mommy!" the small girl greeted her.

"Good morning," Mikasa replied.

She got up and made her bed before dressing up while the girl waited on the bed.

Mikasa looked over to her.

"We should get you some new clothes," she suggested to the little girl.

"Okay!"

Pulling out a white dress and a pink sweater, Mikasa handed them to her.

"These were mine before," she explained. "But you can have them now since I outgrew them."

To be honest, Mikasa wasn't sure why she kept the old clothes. It was probably because they reminded her of her home back in Zhiganshina with Eren.

The girl smiled and put the clothes on, and Mikasa was stunned to see that she looked like a mirror image of herself, but with Eren's eyes and bright smile.

"Let's go find Eren," she said.

"Who's Eren?" the girl asked, confused.

"He's your daddy," she explained.

"Oh yeah! Daddy! Let's go find Daddy!"

Her hand reached up.

At first Mikasa was confused but then she realized she was reaching for her hand.

Mikasa held the girl's hand as they walked through the hallway and went down the stairs and to Eren's room.

She knocked on the door.

"Eren! It's Mikasa."

Mikasa heard a shuffling noise before he opened the door to see Mikasa and the little girl with her.

"Good morning, Daddy!" she let go of Mikasa's hand and hugged Eren.

"Good morning, uh," he paused awkwardly. "... What's your name?"

She was quiet for a few seconds

"I don't know," she said, looking down. "But you and Mommy can give me one, right?"

Eren and Mikasa's eyes met, and they knew immediately what her name should be.

"Your name is Carla," Eren said.

The girl pondered over this.

"I like my name!" she exclaimed. "It's pretty!"

Mikasa placed her hands on Carla's shoulders.

"Carla, we should eat breakfast while your daddy gets ready."

She looked at Eren.

"Meet us downstairs at the dining hall."

"Yeah."

Mikasa and Carla went downstairs to eat, and Mikasa split her serving to save food.

They sat down at an empty table and ate.

It was eerily quieter than usual, and Mikasa heard whispers and felt stares, but she ignored them.

While they were eating, Armin came and sat next to Mikasa.

"Good morning, Mikasa."

"Good morning."

"Carla, this is Uncle Armin," Mikasa introduced her to him.

"Hi, Uncle Armin!" Carla smiled happily.

"Hi, Carla," Armin said in response.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked him.

"Blue," he replied.

"That's cool! My favorite's red, just like Mommy! She likes red because of the scarf that Daddy gave her."

Mikasa's eyes widened.

"Carla, how did you know that?"

Carla opened her mouth to reply, but then shut it.

"I don't know how I know it," she said unsurely. "But I know I do!"

"Mikasa Ackerman!" a voice boomed from the other side of the room. It was the instructor, Eren behind him. "Come here. And bring the girl, too."

Carla buried her face in Mikasa's sweater.

"He's scary..."

Mikasa held her hand.

"It's alright."

Every step they took could be heard on the boards of the floor due to the complete silence.

"Follow me," the instructor told them and began to walk down the hallway.

Carla clung to Eren's arm while holding Mikasa's hand.

"Daddy, what's he gonna do?"

Eren felt uncertain, but looked her straight in the eye.

"Everything will be alright."


	2. Chapter 2

Keith sat the two trainees and their "daughter" down in his office, sitting in the desk in front of them.

"Trainees Jaeger and Ackerman, who is this girl?"

At first they didn't know how to respond, but Carla piped up.

"They're my mommy and daddy!"

His brow furrowed.

"How did you get here?" he asked her.

She laughed. "I walked!"

He looked annoyed and amused at the same time.

"From where?"

Carla looked puzzled.

"I don't know. But I was looking for Mommy and Daddy, so I came here."

"And how did you know they were here?"

She shook her head.

"I just knew they were."

Keith leaned back in his chair.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"Carla!" the girl responded happily. "It's the name Mommy and Daddy gave me!"

_So they named her after their mother? _he thought, thinking of Grisha and Carla.

"So, Carla," he said, his arms folded. "What are you going to do, know that you found your so-called Mommy and Daddy?"

Carla frowned.

"I _know _they're my mommy and daddy!" she insisted. "And I'm going to stay with them."

He looked unamused.

"Well, they have training to do," he told her. "You're not allowed to stay here unless you're either an instructor or a trainee. And you're neither."

"Then I'll _become _a trainee!" Carla said fiercely. "Mommy and Daddy are really strong! And I'm going to be just like them!"

Eren and Mikasa looked at her in both shock and awe.

"Is that so?" Keith asked. "How old are you?"

"I'm twelve! And that's old enough to become a trainee!"

"Hm? You look and act like you're nine," he said bluntly. "You'd become nothing but titan foo-"

"No!" Carla yelled. "I'll kill them! I don't care what it takes! I'll kill the titans!"

Mikasa grabbed Carla's hand.

"Carla, don't shout," she said.

The instructor smirked.

_Just like Eren, _he thought.

"Very well. You can join, however," his eyes darted to Eren and Mikasa. "Trainees Jaeger and Ackerman have to tutor you after training so you can get caught up with the other trainees in terms of proficiency."

He paused.

"That is, if they're willing to."

They both nodded.

"Yes, sir."

Keith nodded.

"She trains starting tomorrow. Today she'll spectate training. You may leave."

The three of them stood up to leave.

Before they left they room Eren and Mikasa saluted. Carla looked up at them and copied their movements in a perfect salute. She grabbed Mikasa's hand as they walked out to the hallway.

"Carla, how'd you learn how to salute?" Eren asked her.

"From you and Mommy, of course!"

Mikasa stopped and held Carla's shoulders gently, looking her in the eyes.

"Carla," her voice was steady. "Are you sure you want to become a trainee? What faction will you join after?"

Her daughter nodded.

"I'm sure. And whatever faction you and Daddy join, I'll join."

Mikasa's eyes widened.

_The Survey Corps..._

She looked to Eren.

"Eren, she can't-"

"Yes, she can," he said, walking to Carla. "I know she can."

Carla smiled.

"C'mon, let's go get ready! I wanna watch you train!" she said excitedly.

Eren nodded.

"I'll meet you guys by the front."

* * *

After changing, Mikasa and Eren met by the front of the training field.

"Carla, we're working on gear training today and tomorrow," Eren said to her. "But today you just have to watch. Before dinner we can get you a uniform and belts so you can practice a little."

"Okay!" she beamed.

During training Carla wandered around the gear training equipment, earning odd stares from many of the trainees. She watched them intently and observed the mechanisms of the gears. After training was over she walked back to Eren, who was talking to Bertolt and Reiner.

"Daddy!" she said, running to him.

"There you are, Carla," he said, placing a hand on her head. "I was afraid you were lost."

She shook her head.

"I was just looking around."

Carla looked up at the other two trainees, who dwarfed her in size.

"Hey there," Reiner said. "Aren't you Carla?"

She nodded in place of her usual bubbliness.

"Hey, you aren't usually this quiet," Eren said to her. "That's Reiner, and that's Bertolt."

"Hi," she said to them blankly.

"Carla, is something wrong?" he asked her.

She stared down at her feet.

"Something feels strange," she said. "I can't explain it."

"You probably have a stomachache or something," he replied.

Looking to the left, he pointed.

"There's your mommy," he said. "She can get you some medicine."

Carla nodded and ran off to Mikasa.

"Mommy!" she said.

"Carla," Mikasa replied. "Where's Eren?"

"He's over there with those two guys," Carla responded. "But there's something weird about them."

"Weird?"

"Yeah. I don't know what it is, but something doesn't _feel _right."

Mikasa looked over to them.

"I'm gonna wash up real quick and then we can start your training," Mikasa said. "Can you go get Ere-, I mean, your daddy and tell him?"

"Okay!"

Carla went back to Eren.

"Daddy," she said after he stopped talking to Reiner. "Mommy says it's almost time to start my training."

"Alright, then," he said to her.

He looked to Reiner and Bertolt.

"See you guys later."

"See you."

* * *

After getting Carla one of the smallest uniforms they could find, they fitted her with the belt straps and took her to the gear training field.

"So, Carla," Mikasa said. "All you need to do is focus your mind on balancing yourself and stay centered. That's all."

"Hopefully she didn't get another defective belt," Eren grumbled.

Carla ran to the closest equipment and hooked the ropes into her belt.

"Wow, you're a fast learner," Eren said as he ran to the crank. "Ready, Carla?"

"Yes," she replied.

Mikasa stood in front of Carla, watching her.

Eren slowly raised the ropes, Carla's feet lifting off the ground.

She hung in the air perfectly balanced.

"This is fun," she smiled.

"Carla, how are you doing that?" Eren asked in awe.

She looked back at him.

"It's easy! All I have to do is make sure that my weight is evenly distributed on the belts and stay centered."

The corners of Mikasa's mouth raised up slightly in a small smile.

"Eren, she's got good potential, and she's strong, even for her size," she said. "I think she can start practicing on her own gear tomorrow."

"Huh?" Eren said, surprised. "Isn't it too soon for that?"

Mikasa shook her head.

"She just has to show the instructors and if they give their okay, then she can start training with us."

Eren looked at his daughter, having no trouble keeping herself up.

"Alright, then."

Carla grinned happily as Eren let her down, and she unhooked herself from the gear.

"I want to be strong," she declared, looking them straight in the eye. "I want to be very strong, just like Mommy and Daddy."

Eren extended his arms out to hug her.

"You will."

Mikasa walked to them and placed a hand on Carla's head.

"You'll become even stronger than us one day."

* * *

Author's Note: And scene! I really love writing this story, but it's not going to be horribly long, maybe only ten chapters or so unless I decide otherwise. Anyways, stay tuned for more and see you in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

"Carla, sit down," Eren said, sitting down on Mikasa's bed.

The young girl complied and sat down happily on the bed in front of her two parents, who were sitting on chairs.

She suddenly frowned.

"Am I in trouble?"

Mikasa shook her head.

"No, you're not. We just wanted to ask you a few questions."

Carla pondered this.

"What kind of questions?"

Eren and Mikasa exchanged a glance.

"Carla, how did you get here?" Eren asked her.

She looked down at her hands, which were clenched together in her lap.

"It was cold," she said quietly. "Very cold."

"All I remember is that I was lost. I was in the forest, lost. I didn't know what to do or where to go. But what I did remember was your faces."

She looked up at Eren and Mikasa.

"I wanted to find you. So I walked, and walked. It was raining, and I got sick, but I kept walking. I kept going for so long, I forgot how much time passed. The forest was scary and huge, I couldn't find my way out. I saw some fake titans in the forest and ran away from them. I was so hungry, and tired. And then, I felt something. Something warm in my heart. As I got closer and closer to the edge of the forest, I found the Trainee Corps. The warm feeling got stronger. I wanted to get closer to whatever was the source of the warmth. Then, I realized it. It was you."

Her eyes gazed into theirs.

"And then, when I found you, I was so happy. Whenever I'm near you, I feel warm inside."

They looked down at her in sadness.

"Where were you for the past twelve years?" Mikasa asked. "How did you survive that long?"

Carla shook her head.

"I don't know."

"How do you know about all the walls and factions and the cities? You haven't been to school," Eren asked.

She shook her head again.

"I... I just knew. I don't know how, but I do."

They were silent.

"Eren, what do we do?" Mikasa asked him.

He looked over to his daughter.

"What do you want?" Eren asked Carla.

Carla looked confused.

"What... What do I want?"

He nodded.

"What do you want to do now?"

She thought over it.

"I want to stay with you and Mommy, and fight the titans, just like I said before."

An image of Carla grasped within a titan's hand flashed in Eren's head, but he shook it off.

He looked over to Mikasa, who looked a bit unsure.

Eren held Mikasa's hand and gave her a look that said, _She'll be fine._

"Then we'll continue your training," he said to her.

Carla smiled and hugged them both.

"I love you," she said.

Those three words changed everything.

At first they didn't know how to respond, but Eren spoke up.

"I love you, too."

"I love you, too, Carla," Mikasa said, wrapping her arms around her.

* * *

The next day, Mikasa taught Carla how to use the maneuver gear while Eren watched. At first, Carla had trouble making deep enough cuts in the titan targets, but she was also very fast due to her small size. The other trainees watched on in amazement or envy. Even Connie had trouble keeping up with the swift girl.

Carla aimed for one of the titans, firing her gear at it, however one of the other trainees fired theirs a split second later, knocking her hook into the air, away from the target.

Her gear was too far away to draw in quick enough, and she would have fallen to the ground if Eren didn't catch her first.

"Jean!" Eren said in anger. "What the hell was that?!"

Jean unhooked his gear and walked towards them.

"It's not my fault!" he said brashly. "Her hook was right in front of mine!"

"She could've died if she fell from that height!" Eren retaliated. "You son of a-"

"Daddy," Carla said, grabbing his arm. "It's okay. He didn't mean to do it."

Eren wanted to protest, but he shut his mouth.

Mikasa landed a few feet away from them.

"Are you hurt, Carla?" she asked.

Carla shook her head.

"No, thanks to Daddy."

Jean looked at them with a look of disgust in his eye.

"I didn't know you and Mikasa had-"

"We didn't," Mikasa interrupted. "We don't even know ourselves how she got here. But that doesn't matter."

He squinted his eyes.

"So she's the result of some genetic phenomenon or something?"

Eren shrugged.

"Looks that way."

"Hey!" the instructor yelled. "No time for breaks, maggots!"

"Yes, sir!" they all replied.

The four of them all fired their gears up and left.

* * *

After training, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin borrowed some books from the Trainee Corps library and tutored Carla on everything she needed to know about the titans. Whenever Carla had a question that Mikasa and Eren couldn't answer, Armin knew it.

"Carla, that's it for today," Mikasa said. "Go wash up and change and meet us outside of the dining hall later."

"Where are you going?" the young girl asked, with a worried tone.

"We're just going to talk to Uncle Armin for a while, okay?"

She nodded and kissed her parents on the cheek before leaving.

"Armin, we need to talk," Eren said. "Do you know any possible way Carla could've been... well... how she was made?"

He shook his head.

"No doubt she looks like you and Mikasa," he said. "But I'm honestly not sure how she was made. If you and Mikasa didn't do, well, _it, _then I can't find a reasonable answer. Even if you did, she's definitely too old. She'd be a baby."

"That's what I was thinking," Eren said. "But how can we explain it if we take responsibility for her as her parents?"

"We don't," Mikasa told him. "They just have to deal with it."

"Huh?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she looked him dead in the eye. "Even though we don't know how she was made or got here, she's still a person. A person that has our genes. That makes us her parents. Parents are supposed to love and take care of their children. So that's what I'm going to do."

Her words sunk into Eren's mind.

"I will, too."

They were silent for a while before Armin piped up.

"We'll talk later, okay? Let's go eat."

The three walked to the dining hall, where Carla was waiting.

The young girl ran towards them and they ate together, Carla and Armin talking about their favorite foods and animals.

After dinner Eren and Armin went to their quarters, and Carla and Mikasa went to theirs.

* * *

"Carla Jaeger," the instructor said to her. "You'll be sparring with Marco Bott."

Eren and Mikasa looked on as Marco stepped forward.

"Sir, can I spar with her instead?" Mikasa asked.

"No," he spat. "She gets who she's paired up with."

Mikasa frowned and gritted her teeth.

Carla and Marco made their way to an empty spot.

"Hi," Marco greeted her. "I'm Marco. You're Carla, right?"

"Yes," Carla replied.

Marco tilted his head.

"So... Your parents are Eren and Mikasa?" he asked.

She nodded.

Marco decided not to ask questions.

He held up the wooden dagger.

"Do you want to go first?" he asked.

"Okay," Carla took the dagger and readied herself.

Marco took up a defensive stance before Carla charged at him.

Marco was much bigger, but also much slower. Carla's small body lunged at him and dodged his attempts to snatch the knife.

She flipped him over and hovered the dagger's tip above his throat.

The freckled boy gulped as she got off of him and handed him the dagger.

"Whoa, you're really strong," he commented. "Did Mikasa teach you that?"

"Yeah," Carla said, looking down. "But I don't really like hurting people..."

A look of pity flashed across his face.

"Oh... Well, at least it's only training," he said, trying to lift the mood. "And I won't care if you hurt me."

She looked a bit more relaxed, but still wore an uncertain look on her face.

"Anyways, let's start," Marco said, readying the dagger.

* * *

After training was over, Carla found Eren sparring with a girl with blue eyes and short blonde hair tied at the back.

Carla waited until they were done to approach him.

He smiled at her.

"How was sparring practice?" he asked.

"Good," she responded. "I like Uncle Marco. He's really nice."

"Yeah," Eren agreed. "He's definitely a nice guy."

Carla's gaze drifted to Annie, who was walking away.

She tugged on Eren's sleeve.

"Daddy," she whispered. "That girl... There's something strange about her."

He looked in Annie's direction.

"Annie?" he said. "Sure, she looks a little scary, but-"

"No, that's not what I'm talking about," Carla shook her head. "It almost feels like she's..."

"She's what?" Eren asked.

"... A titan."


	4. Chapter 4

"What?" Eren asked her. "A titan?"

She nodded.

"She... I can't explain it. But I can feel the essence of a titan when I'm close to her."

Eren looked down at her in disbelief.

"Annie can't be a titan," he told her. "You're probably just imagining it."

"No!" Carla insisted. "I know what I'm talking about!"

"How?" Eren demanded. "How can you know this?"

"I can sense them!" she said.

"Sense them how?" his voice grew angry.

"I just can!" Carla replied. "I know I-"

"That's what you say about everything," Eren interrupted her. " 'I just know I do.' But do you really? Maybe you _think _you know, but you don't, Carla! You don't even know where you came from!"

Her eyes became teary.

"... I-I," she said, her voice shaking. "I..."

She began to cry.

A wave of realization and guilt washed over Eren. He just made his daughter cry.

"Carla, I'm sorry," he tried to say, but she ran away from him.

He chased after her.

"Carla! Come back!" Eren shouted, but she continued to run across the field.

Carla ran to the edge of the training field, where Mikasa was.

Mikasa immediately ran to Carla and stopped her by blocking her path and grabbing her.

"Carla, what's going o-" she began to say.

The girl hugged her mother and began to sob, crying into her scarf.

Eren caught up to her, panting heavily.

Mikasa looked at him.

"What happened?" she asked. Seeing the guilty look on his face, she frowned slightly. "What did you do?"

"I... I went too far," he said.

Eren walked up to Carla and touched her shoulder. She slightly flinched away but Eren spun her around. Her eyes were puffy and a bit red but otherwise she looked normal.

"Carla, I'm sorry," Eren said to her, his green eyes staring into her identical ones. "I just got worked up. Will you please forgive me?"

She nodded and hugged him. He hugged her back, and he suddenly felt even more guilty. How did Mikasa feel if he did this to her constantly?

"Let's go eat," he told her, holding her hand.

"Okay," she said quietly.

* * *

**Graduation Ceremony Party _(Note: In this story Krista was ranked 11th :p)_**

"Congrats on ranking 6th," Eren said to Carla.

She smiled.

"Thank you," she let out quietly, hiding behind Mikasa's sleeve from the people surrounding them.

Jean watched them from a nearby table.

"Damn," he grumbled. "I can't believe Eren placed above me, let alone Carla."

Carla looked down at her feet while her parents talked, blotting out the words.

She tuned back in when Eren began to shout.

"-then the lives of those who died in the Survey Corps will be for nothing!" he said angrily before storming out.

At first no one moved, but Carla rushed forward to follow him, Mikasa and Armin coming soon after.

"Daddy!" she called out when they were outside.

Eren wiped his eyes as she sat next to him.

"Eren, about what you said there," Armin began.

"Yeah," Eren responded, drying his eyes. "I got that from you. To live outside the walls, not inside."

Silence followed for a while.

"I'm joining the Survey Corps," Armin said decisively.

"Huh? Armin, you got the highest written test score!" Eren told him.

"I won't hold you back, even if it kills me," he replied.

After a few seconds Mikasa spoke.

"I'm joining the Survey Corps, too," she said.

"You too?" Eren asked her. "You ranked first, so you should join the Military Police."

She looked at him.

"If you join the Garrison, then I'll join the Garrison too," she looked down. "If you join the Military Police, then I'll do that. You'll send yourself to an early death without me."

A look of annoyance found its way onto Eren's features.

"You don't have to do this, you know," he grumbled.

"I don't want to lose any more family," Mikasa said, as if saying it aloud to herself.

Eren and Mikasa looked to Carla, who was surprisingly silent.

The girl looked down at her feet.

"I'll join the Survey Corps, too, then," she said.

"Carla, you'd be more safe with the Military Police," Mikasa told her.

"I joined the Trainee Corps late," Carla responded. "I'm only thirteen. I doubt I'd get much acceptance there. And besides, I want to stay with you."

"But in the Survey Corps-" Mikasa tried to say before she was interrupted.

"I know," her daughter said. "I might die there. But even so, I'm still going to join."

"Are you sure you want this?" Eren asked her, looking her straight in the eye.

"I'm sure," she replied immediately.

They all looked up at the night sky to see the stars shining brightly, illuminating the darkness around them.

* * *

**Timeskip to Battle of Trost **(Carla is with Mikasa during the breach)

"Please... Don't die."

Eren brushed her off harshly.

"Mommy, you should go now," Carla said to her after Eren left.

Mikasa looked down at her.

"Carla, don't die, please," she told her, almost in a begging manner.

The girl hugged Mikasa, who returned it.

"I won't die as long as I have you and Daddy."

Mikasa kissed her on the cheek.

"I won't die, then," Mikasa said. "I'm not going to lose any more family."

Mikasa left to go to the rearguard while Carla went to join up with Connie's group.

"You're Carla, right?" Connie asked her.

She nodded.

He looked like he was about to ask more questions but decided not to.

"C'mon," he said to her. "Let's go."

* * *

Ymir, Krista, Connie, and Carla were running along the rooftops when they spotted Armin unconscious on the roof.

Connie jumped down.

"Armin!" he said, shaking his shoulders. "Armin! Hey, wake up!"

The blonde boy woke up, his blue eyes wide in alert.

"It's not safe here," Connie said to him. "We should go. And, what's this weird slime on you?"

Carla landed a few feet from them to see Armin screaming.

"Stupid! You stupid idiot! Die!"

"Uncle Armin!" Carla said, walking up to him. "What's wrong?"

He looked up at her as if in fear.

Her green eyes darted around.

"Where's my dad? And everyone else?"

_How do I tell her? How do I tell her that.. that Eren died because of me?_


End file.
